Beats Stumbling Around in Silence

The Leap

I knew
When I saw the flash
out of the corner of my eye
I knew
When I felt the rush of air
Pass by my side
I knew
When I heard the sound
That explosive vibration
I knew
So young, such pain
So peaceful now

‘Fraid not. I had a jumper land 10 feet from me in 1999. It was in Houston at a conference in one of those atrium hotels that shall remain unnamed. He was very young, just a teenager and homeless. He managed to take the elevator to the 22nd floor -a friend of mine was actually on the same elevator and it messed with his head big time when he found out. The kid landed to my side but I knew what is was immediately. I didn’t want to look but could not help it and I found my imagination was much worse than the visual reality as he seemed surprisingly peaceful but I t is a sound that I will never forget. I was pretty much a basket case that night and the rest of the trip. I think about that young man a lot and how horrible his life must have been to end it so tragically that way.

Sometimes writing about a harrowing experience can help healing. While we have little control over what happens, we have much control over how we share our reactions to it. Poets in the 19-th century often (and counterproductively) declaimed at length about how they felt. A clear and compassionate description of what led to one’s feelings is vastly more effective. Your poem is a splendid example. I honestly cannot remember when, if ever, I saw blank verse that was so moving.